Three Days
by sga gatekeeper
Summary: After being abducted on what was supposed to be a routine trading excursion, Rodney's faith in John and his team is tested. Takes place early Season 2 after Ronon joins the team. Rodney!Whump.
1. Rodney

**A/N: Hello, hello! This is my very first (completed) SGA fic, so please forgive any errors pertaining to the 'Gate or the technology or things of that nature! I'm still working on getting the characterizations down, so please keep in mind that all constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated! Not to mention, reviews are love, so if you enjoy this, please don't forget to drop me a line! **

_Rodney_

It all started with the trip back to Earth. That's when things really started to change. It was his fault; he knew that much. In his defense, it was the first time that they'd been back and hadn't been plagued with duties relating to Atlantis or the Stargate or the fucking Air Force. It was a trip of leisure and while John Sheppard was one of his best friends, he needed some time away. Some time to himself.

He almost felt bad for sticking Teyla and Ronon with Sheppard because he was sure that Sheppard needed that time away from everything involving the damn Pegasus Galaxy and that wasn't exactly possible with two aliens in tow. But Sheppard had assured him that it wasn't a problem, told him to have a good break and that they'd catch up later.

Which was why Rodney had been caught off guard when Sheppard called him less than forty eight hours later to invite him to a football game. He'd said no without thinking twice. He hated football almost as much as he hated Kavanaugh and _that_ was saying something. He'd been annoyed that John had even asked.

But now, sitting in the dark, dirty cell, all he could think about was that fucking football game and how different things could have been if he'd just gone along.

Dropping his head back against his prison walls, he willed away the tears that were stinging at his eyes. It was bad enough that he'd been captured, beaten and left in this filth hole; he would not add insult to injury by sitting around and crying like the little bitch that John and Ronon thought him to be.

Shifting just slightly on the hard earth beneath him, it took every ounce of strength he had to keep from moaning in pain as he jostled the knife wound in his side. Glancing down at his blood soaked shirt, he pressed his hand against the injury, closing his eyes when he felt the heat radiating from it.

"Gotta get outta here, McKay," he whispered, swallowing hard to keep the rising nausea at bay. "Gotta get outta here."

"Unfortunately, Dr. McKay… that's just not written in the stars for you today," a gruff voice sneered, startling Rodney more than he cared to admit. Turning his head slightly, he caught sight of the angry native, his ugly face turned down in a scowl as one of his minions slid a key into the lock of the door.

"You… you could just let me go," he managed, his tone borderline pleading. "They… if you just let me go…"

An involuntary whine tore from Rodney's throat as dumb and dumber stepped into the cell, grabbing him roughly as they pulled him to his feet.

"As I said, your release is not written in the stars."

"They're going to kill you. When they… when they find out what you've done to me…."

A loud laugh escaped the leader as he nodded to his minions. "Take him downstairs. I shall be down to deal with him shortly. And Dr. McKay?"

The two men holding Rodney up turned, forcing the scientist to face his captor.

"You don't honestly believe they are coming for you, now do you?"

Had he been asked even a month earlier, Rodney would have said without a doubt that yes, John would come for him. But things had changed and now? Now he didn't know.

_Four Days Earlier_

Leaning back in his chair, Rodney released a loud sigh and sagged, running his hands over his face. He was exhausted. It had been a long day filled with correcting other people's mistakes, and while it was much earlier than he usually called it quits, he needed a break.

Pushing himself to his feet, he pressed the button on the lamp on his desk and made his way toward the door, his stomach grumbling loudly.

"Yeah, yeah. We're going," he muttered in reply as he set off for the mess hall, running his hands over his face tiredly. He felt like his entire body was dragging and by the time he made it to the mess hall, he wanted nothing more than to eat, go back to his quarters and collapse.

He was so tired that he didn't even see them at first. It was until he heard the Caveman's obnoxious bark of a laugh that he turned, his face flashing when he saw them there together. Without him.

He'd hoped he could just turn around and hurry back out before they spotted him, but when John called his name, he knew there was no hope.

"Rodney!" John called again, as though he hadn't been heard the first time.

"Colonel," Rodney greeted with a nod.

"Finally managed to drag yourself away from the lab, huh?"

"Finally," Rodney muttered, fiercely fighting the frown that threatened.

It wasn't the first time that Sheppard and Ronon had eaten dinner without him. On the contrary, there were many nights that Rodney found himself eating alone in the mess hall well after the majority of Atlantis had retried to their quarters for the night. It was, however, the first time that John hadn't even bothered to stop by the lab to attempt to drag him away.

Most of the time, it annoyed him. He hated being disturbed almost as much as he hated Kavanaugh and football, but he had to admit that he'd grown to enjoy John's attempts at dragging him away from his work. He'd become more inventive over the last year or so, but clearly, Rodney was better at blowing him off than he realized.

Clearly, the Colonel had finally taken the hint.

He ignored the pair as he grabbed a tray and briefly wondered if he could slip past them and back out of the mess hall without them noticing, but as he neared the doorway, John called out to him again, waving him over. Veering off of his escape course, he made his way over to the table and sank down at in his usual seat, stabbing his mashed potatoes.

"Coulda waited for me, you know," he sniffed, shoving his fork into his mouth as he lifted his gaze to glare at both John and Ronon.

"But—"

"Watching you eat would be enough to make anyone lose their appetite," Ronon interjected, smirking when Rodney stopped shoveling long enough to fix him with a harsher glare as the pair started snickering loudly.

"Ha. Funny." Dropping his fork to his tray, he turned his attention back to John. "I wanted to speak with you about tomorrow's mission."

"What about it?"

"I'm not going."

"'Scuse me?"

Releasing a loud sigh of indignation, Rodney reached up to rub at his face tiredly. "Zelenka needs me in the lab more than you're going to need me in the field. We've already been to that planet once and you know as well as I do that there's no ZedPM, so really, my presence is pointless. You certainly don't need me to help negotiate whatever you're trying to trade for."

"Lots of stuff we don't need you for, McKay," John responded, suppressing a smile when Ronon snorted into his water. "But the fact is, you're still part of the team and—"

Rodney had heard enough. Standing up, he grabbed his tray from the table, his jaw set stubbornly. "Okay then. Gate Room at 1430 hours?" He asked curtly, not waiting for a response as he hurried over to the trash can.

"Rodney!" John called, pushing himself up as he stared after the scientist. "Come on, Rodney! I was just kidding!"

Holding up his hand, he waved the Colonel off as he dropped his tray into the trash and stalked out of the mess hall, leaving John and Ronon staring at his retreating form.

_Present Time_

He'd only been vaguely aware of his captors shoving him roughly through the narrow hallways of whatever facility he was in and it wasn't until they forced him into the chair and bound his wrists behind his back that he realized just how well and truly fucked he really was.

His head fell against his chest, his eyes fluttering closed as he listened to the sound of his labored breathing. He could hear the sound of footsteps in the distance, but at the moment, he couldn't quite bring himself to care. All he was focused on was pain. There wasn't a single part of his body that didn't hurt and he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and allow the darkness take over. But he couldn't. He couldn't because Sheppard was coming.

"No, Dr. McKay, he isn't."

The voice startled him. It took nearly every bit of strength he possessed to lift his head and force his eyes open. A quiet whimper escaped him as his captor came into focus.

"I'm… I'm sorry. Did I say that out loud?" He managed, his words slurred. "I'm… I'm surprised you could comprehend, of course. It continues…" he trailed off, swallowing hard as he forced back the bile that was rising quickly. "It continues to amaze me that you're even able to understand the simplest words in the English language. You don't… you don't know Sheppard."

He didn't even have time to brace himself for the punch he knew was coming. He could feel his lip split as the fist connected with his face and try as he might, he couldn't swallow back the pain filled moan that escaped him as his head lolled against his shoulder.

"You…" His captor laughed loudly. "You are a weak man, Dr. McKay. I may not know Colonel Sheppard personally, but based on his reputation throughout my world, I can't imagine that you serve any purpose other than to continually get in the way."

"He… he needs me."

"I believe you are mistaken. You? Yes, I believe _you _need him. But do you really and honestly believe that they need you?"

_Three Days Earlier_

"There's nothing here," Rodney huffed, glaring at Sheppard and Dex before he lowered his gaze back to his scanner. "This was pointless."

"Yes, Rodney, you may have mentioned that a time or seven," John growled. Glancing over at Ronon, he stifled a laugh at the look the Satedan threw his way before he tapped his radio. "Teyla, what's our status with the trade?"

"I am nearly through John," Teyla responded, her voice crackling slightly over the radio transmission. "However, I could use some assistance."

"Everything okay?" John asked, his shoulders tensing slightly as his fingers gripped his P90.

"I am fine," she assured him.

"Alright. I'll double back. Should be able to reach your position in ten."

"Very well. I shall be waiting for you. And John?"

"Yeah?"

"It probably would not hurt for you to hurry. Teyla out."

"Is Teyla okay?" Rodney asked, his face contorting in a frown as he lifted his eyes from his scanner.

"She's fine. Gonna head back to her location and check on her. You two maintain radio silence for the time being. I'll make contact in twenty, after I've assessed her situation, but you stay put unless I say otherwise."

"Got it," Ronon responded, leaning against a tree as he fingered the blaster at his hip.

Without another word, John set off through the trees, leaving Rodney in the company of the Neanderthal that was slowly but surely taking his place on the team.

"Well," he sniffed, his eyes returning to the scanner in his hand. "Looks like it's just me and you, Chewie."

Ronon merely grunted in response, his dark eyes narrowing at Rodney. "What are you doin'? Thought you said there was nothing here."

"There doesn't appear to be, but then it never hurts to second check, now does it?"

"Nope," Ronon said with a shrug, turning away from the scientist to resume his check of the area.

Rodney paused, his fingers hovering over the scanner as he eyed the caveman before he shook his head. "You don't say…" he trailed off at the loud beep emitting from his scanner.

"What's that?"

"I'm getting a reading," Rodney responded, his voice slightly awed as he started towards the thickening trees. "Huge energy spike!"

"Hey! Where you goin'?" Ronon growled, grabbing the back of Rodney's tac vest. "Sheppard said to wait here."

"No, no, no! You don't understand, Big Guy! These are ZedPM level readings! We'd be doing the entire city a huge, giant disservice if we didn't check this out."

Ronon's grip didn't loosen.

"Are you not listening or are you just too stupid to understand what this could mean?" Rodney growled. "Zed. P. M levels!"

Ronon's eyes flashed angrily briefly before he released his grip on Rodney's vest. "Why didn't you pick up on it before?"

"I don't know, hence part of the reason we should go check this out! Come on, we can't be too far away. We could be there and back before the Colonel ever notices we aren't here."

Shifting impatiently on his feet, Rodney resisted the urge to stomp his feet in irritation when the Satedan seemed to take his time to make up his mind.

"If you aren't—"

"Okay," Ronon finally agreed, nodding at Rodney. "But you're sure we won't have to go far?"

Rodney stopped, faltering slightly. He'd been expecting the giant to put up more of a fight. "I'm fairly certain. With levels reading this high, we have to be close."

"Let's go then. But make it quick." With one hand on his blaster, he pushed past the scientist, starting a trek further into the woods. "But McKay?"

"What now?" Rodney complained, releasing an indignant sigh.

"You whine one time and I'll tie you to a tree and let Sheppard deal with you. Got it?"

Swallowing hard, Rodney nodded, relaxing only briefly when Ronon's face broke into what he assumed was supposed to be a grin before the caveman gestured to the trees.

"After you then."

Setting off into the woods, Rodney ignored the feeling of the Satedan's eyes on his back as he led the way through the thick branches. They'd walked only ten minutes when they came across the dark cave and it was all Rodney could do to contain what he was sure was an unmanly squeal as his scanner beeped once more.

"This is it!"

He was vaguely aware of Ronon's voice grumbling behind him, but he paid the other man no mind as he stepped into the cave, his eyes wide in awe as he looked around.

"I'm going in," he muttered to nobody in particular as he slipped into the passageway, ignoring the feeling of claustrophobia that immediately settled over him like a thick veil. "Wide open spaces, McKay," he muttered to himself. "Just think… this will all be more than worth it when you get your hands on the ZedPM."

Taking a deep breath, he barely stifled a cough as the dust and stale air settled in his lungs before he shook his head and pushed further into the cave. He hadn't made it but ten more steps when the walls narrowed down into a small passageway; small enough that even Teyla wouldn't fit through.

"Of course," Rodney muttered bitterly. "In my excitement to locate the damn ZPM, I seemed to have forgotten that this galaxy abso-freakin-lutely hates us. Things can never be easy, can they?" With an angry growl, he started inching his way back out, already making plans and a list of what equipment they would need to come back with in order to get further into the cave.

Stumbling back out into the forest, he inhaled deeply, savoring the fresh smell as he turned, looking for his companion. A dark frown formed on his face when he realized that Ronon was nowhere to be found.

"Uh… Ronon?" He called tentatively, circling around again as though he expected the Neanderthal to jump out from behind one of the tall trees. "Where… where the hell have you gone?"

No answer. Not that he'd been expecting one, anyway.

"Come on, buddy! I didn't even whine on the way out here! I mean, not really, anyway. You weren't… you weren't serious when you threatened to leave me out here for John to deal with, were you? Because I can tell you from previous experience, he's going to be just as mad at you for…" he trailed off at the sound of a branch snapping in the distance. "Ronon?"

His frown deepened as he gripped his scanner tighter in his hands in an attempt to stop the limbs from trembling.

"Okay, this? This is so not funny, Dex! John?" He could just imagine the pair somewhere out there, hiding among the trees and laughing at him. Teyla too, probably. This whole thing had most likely been some stupid prank to see just how much he would panic when left alone, but unfortunately for them, he was far too smart to fall for something like that.

Narrowing his eyes in anger, he grabbed the pack from his back and replaced his scanner before he pulled the Life Signs Detector from the front of his vest, his jaw set stubbornly as he powered it on. "I guess the joke is on you guys now," he muttered smugly until he saw the dozen or so white dots that clearly had him surrounded.

"Oh no."

_Present Day_

"You left me," he muttered to nobody in particular, his heavy lidded eyes beginning to close without his consent as he recalled the last moments before he'd been taken captive.

Over the course of the last three pain filled days, he'd hung on to the idea that maybe something had happened, something that prevented Sheppard and his team from coming after him, but now…

A hand gripping his shoulder roughly pulled him from his thoughts and it was all he could do to swallow back a gasp as fingers dug into his skin, forcing him to remain in the here and now.

"You still believe they are coming for you?" A cold voice from the doorway asked. "Surely they would be here by now… if they were actually coming."

Rodney said nothing as he dropped his head to his chest, his breaths coming out in short, ragged little spurts as the panic began to rise in his chest.

"They're… they're coming."

"You are a fool if you actually believe that," the man laughed as he circled the chair, eyeing the battered and bruised man in front of him. "They are not coming, Dr. McKay."

Swallowing hard, Rodney released a ragged gasp and blinked back unshed tears. He could feel the wetness spreading along his side from the wound that had never really stopped bleeding and before he could stop himself, a half sob tore from his throat. He'd been in similar situations before; even now, as he sat tied to this fucking chair, he could recall time after time that he'd found himself in a less than desirable position, but John had always come.

He'd always had faith that John would come.

But now, as the life slowly seeped out of him… as he sat dying in this God forsaken underground cave, surrounded by fucking alien natives, he knew that something had changed.

For all the times that John Sheppard had saved his ass at the last hour, he wasn't coming now.

And it was with that knowledge that Rodney McKay released a quiet resigned sigh and closed his eyes.


	2. Ronon

**A/N: First of all, thank you so much to those of you who sent me a quick review after the last section! I can't tell you how happy it makes me when I open my email to find reviews; you guys are awesome! I need to apologize for the delay in getting this one posted (as it's been done for a couple of days) and in just how short this section is. All I can offer by way of an excuse is that Ronon's not a very talkative guy anyway! ;) One more section to come after this one, and it's nearly finished, so hopefully, I can get it done and posted before the weekend, but please don't forget to drop me a quick review and let me know what you think! **

_Ronon_

The sound of the bantos sticks connecting resonated through the gym, spilling out into the hallway where Ronon sat against the wall, shoulders hunched, eyes closed as he replayed the last three days over in his mind.

He'd screwed up beyond belief; of that, he was sure. The look on Sheppard's face when Dr. Weir ordered them to return was one that he was certain he would never forget. He had let his commander down and for that, he knew he must be punished.

It had been three days since he'd lost McKay. Three days full of sweeps and searches of the planet, but it was as if the doctor had simply disappeared, leaving no trace as to where he might have been taken. McKay was not a warrior and knew nothing of leaving tracks for others to follow. If they ever found him, Ronon was making it his personal mission to teach him to do just that.

Closing his eyes, he exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and pushed himself to his feet. It had been over an hour since the science team led by Dr. Zelenka set off for the planet they'd last encountered McKay. They'd extended the range on the scanners, hoping that if obnoxious scientist was still on the planet, they would pick up his life sign. Sheppard wanted to escort them, wanted to be there if they located McKay, but Weir had put her foot down. Sheppard had run the team ragged over the last three days and despite the fact that he'd looked as though he was only seconds away from decking her, she'd ordered them to stay back.

Ronon was certain that was why he'd escaped with Teyla to the gym. He needed an outlet for his anger, something to focus on other than the fact that they might never find McKay at all. After all, a life sign detector was only good if the person you were searching for was still alive.

Pushing that thought from his mind, he stepped into the gym. The loud _woosh_ of the doors, however, caught Sheppard's attention and in the split second that he glanced up to identify the intruder, Teyla swung, catching him in the side with her stick.

Sheppard went down on his knees, his own sticks clattering to the floor in front of him as he gripped his side, his teeth clenched in pain. Out of instinct, Ronon moved forward, though it was the anger in Sheppard's voice that stopped him.

"Go."

Ronon stopped in his tracks, holding his hands up in surrender as he looked over his commander.

"I mean it, Ronon," John managed, his voice tight as he swatted Teyla's hands away. "Go, because I promise you, if you're still here when I catch my breath, I'm going to kick your ass."

On any other day, it would have taken every ounce of strength he possessed to keep from laughing at that, but today, he could see that Sheppard meant it. Nodding his head, he pulled his blaster from his holster, laying it down on the table. His knives soon followed, one by one until he was unarmed.

"Okay."

He bowed his head in silent acceptance, waiting for the punishment he knew he deserved. They'd trusted him; Sheppard, Teyla and McKay. They'd put their faith in him, trusting that he would protect them with his life as he knew they would all do for him and he had let them down.

He could hear John getting to his feet, could hear Teyla's quiet words, begging John to stop, pleading on his behalf and all of a sudden, it was too much.

"I'm sorry, Sheppard. I screwed up."

The sound of footsteps ceased, as did Teyla's urgent words, but he did not lift his head. He could not bring himself to look at the man whose trust he'd broken.

"When we find him…" Sheppard trailed off, the words seemingly catching in his throat.

"I know," Ronon responded, lifting his eyes briefly as the radio crackled loudly in his ear.

"Colonel Sheppard?"

Ronon watched as Sheppard reached up, tapping his own ear piece before speaking. "Go ahead, Elizabeth."

"Report to the control room immediately. I think we've found him."


	3. John

**A/N: Here it is... the final chapter of my first SGA fic! This story didn't turn out exactly the way I'd planned when I was thinking it up, but all in all, I don't think it was a bad first attempt! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the first two chapters! I apologize for Ronon's section being so short, but this is the longest of the three, so hopefully, that will make up for a bit! Please don't forget to drop me a line after you've finished reading to let me know what you thought and hopefully, I'll be back soon with another story! **

_John_

John could feel all eyes on him as he made his way through the thick trees, P90 raised as they drew closer to the cave. Three days. Three fucking days of searching and scouring this God-forsaken planet and Rodney had been literally under their noses the entire time.

"It was a shield," Zelenka had explained as soon as they'd stepped through the gate, flanked by Lorne and his own team of Marines.

"Why the hell didn't we figure that out sooner?" Sheppard growled, his eyes flashing dangerously at the Czech scientist. It wasn't until Lorne stepped between them, resting his hand on his CO's chest that John realized he'd actually taken a step towards the smaller man.

"Because as much as I hate to admit it, I am not Rodney. When we did not immediately get a reading in this area, we simply assumed that they had gated off-world. A fair assumption, of course. It wasn't until after we realized that the last address dialed was Atlantis that we…" he'd trailed off at the murderous look in Sheppard's eyes and had slunk back to the back of the group.

That had been nearly an hour ago and John hadn't heard a peep from the scientist since. He could practically hear Rodney in his mind, berating him for scaring his scientists because as much as Rodney liked terrorizing them, he was as protective of Zelenka and the rest of the crew as John was of him.

"If we get you out of this, buddy, I'll give your whole fucking department that stash of chocolate as a peace offering. But not until we've got you back," the whispered to nobody in particular.

From the back, Zelenka spoke up, pulling John from his thoughts. "Colonel Sheppard!"

"What is it now, Radek?"

"This is the place. There are at least fifteen life signs directly beneath us."

"Any way of knowin' which one is Rodney?" Lorne asked, though John was sure he already knew the answer.

"We have no way of distinguishing life signs, but…" the old scientist trailed off, shoving his glasses back up on his nose as his gaze met John's.

"But _what_, Zelenka?"

"I am not a betting man, Colonel, but if I was, I would say this one is Rodney." Stepping through the team of Marines and scientists, Zelenka stopped in front of John, pointing at the screen.

John faltered for a fraction of a second before his eyes drifted down to the screen without his consent, sucking in a loud breath when he realized which dot Zelenka was pointing to.

The one that was flashing slowly.

"Sonofabitch!" He cursed, running a hand through his messy hair as he drew in a sharp breath. "Ronon, go back to the gate. Dial it up and have a medical team on standby. Tell Chuck to check in every ten minutes and—"

"No," the Satedan growled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I don't have time to argue with you! I'm ordering—"

"No," Ronon said again. "My mistake, I want to be the one to fix it, Sheppard. Send somebody else."

"I will go," Teyla volunteered, squeezing John's arm reassuringly as she passed. "Let him help you, John."

For a brief moment, John seriously fucking debated sending Ronon back to the gate anyway. The Satedan had been the one to screw this up from the beginning, and if he was being honest with himself, he was still angry enough with the other man to let him suffer a little longer, but common sense won out in the end and he nodded.

"Alright. When we get inside, we split up in teams. I want teams of two Marines and a scientist and _nobody_," he trailed off, flashing an angry look at Ronon, "gets left behind. Are we clear?"

There was a chorus of 'yes sir' as the large group split up into smaller teams, with Ronon migrating closer to him. He could see the lines of worry etched on the Satedan's face and despite John's desire to hold on to his anger a little longer, he felt it slipping away quickly.

"Alright, Big Guy. Let's bring him home, huh?"

Ronon nodded curtly in agreement as he led the way into the cave, and even in the darkness that was illuminated only by the lights on their P90s, John could see the tension radiating throughout Ronon's body.

Taking a deep breath, he followed after the Satedan, gun gripped tightly in his hand as he listened carefully for the sounds of any movement from below.

"The scanner is indicating that we should turn left," Zelenka called out, his voice coming out in little more than a harsh whisper.

"Turn left? There's just a wall here. Are you sure you've calibrated that scanner right, Doctor?" Lorne asked.

"I am positive, Major."

Pausing in front of the wall in question, John glanced back at Zelenka with a questioning glance before he reached out to touch it. A quiet gasp escaped him when he realized that something was definitely different; it wasn't the cool, damp feeling of the rock that surrounded them.

Pressing against it, it opened silently, revealing a large tunnel lit by torches. "Radek, are you…" John trailed off when the sound of a hoarse scream reached his ears. "Rodney!"

"Straight down the hallway and to the right! Three life signs moving down that corridor!" Zelenka called as John and Ronon took off in a sprint, leaving the rest of the group trailing behind them.

The sound gunfire echoed in the large hallway as John opened fire on the three guards, dropping them quickly. "Radek!"

"Four more moving this way! Three coming from the left, one from the right!"

"How far from Rodney?"

"Four hallways."

"Sir, my team will take the left. Looks like it's all interconnecting tunnels. We'll create a diversion, hopefully draw them away from the center," Lorne offered, already issuing orders to his Marines at John's nod.

Without needing to be told twice, both John and Ronon started down the other hallway, taking out the lone guard as they passed. Another scream echoed through the hallway from deep inside the cave.

They moved almost silently through the caves, following the sound of the hoarse cries as they moved farther away from the gunfire.

"We're getting close," Ronon muttered, pausing as the hallway forked.

"Which way?" John pressed, tightening his grip on his P90.

"Left," Ronon decided, nodding at John as they stepped into the other corridor, both stopping short at the sight in front of them.

The hallway opened up into a large room, lit completely by torches. In the center of the room sat Rodney, struggling weakly against two large men as a third gripped his hand. For a moment, all John could do was stare until the sound of a loud crack followed by Rodney's scream reached his ears, forcing him into motion.

He was vaguely aware of the sound of Ronon's blaster charging just seconds before he took out the two men holding Rodney down. The third turned, his eyes wide in surprise before John launched himself at him, P90 forgotten as they both toppled to the floor.

The only thing John was sure of was that he wanted this man to feel as much pain as possible. He drove his fist over and over again until the man's face, taking pleasure in the feeling of his nose shattering under his fist. It wasn't long before the native went limp against him, but try as he might, John couldn't stop himself until he felt Ronon's heavy hand against his shoulder.

"Sheppard. We need to go."

He felt Ronon pulling him up before the Satedan pressed the gun back into his hands. "Rodney?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

"Bad shape. He needs help now."

Turning back to chair, John had to swallow back the bile that rose in his throat at the sight of his scientist. He was slumped over in the chair, his head resting against his chest. Even from where he stood, he could see the unnatural angle of several of Rodney's fingers and it was all he could do to keep from unloading his gun into the unmoving body of the man who'd broken them.

"He's still…?" John trailed off, the question hanging in the air, but Ronon nodded, holstering his blaster once more.

"Barely."

The sound of his radio crackling in the otherwise silent cavern startled him slightly.

"Colonel Sheppard? This is Major Lorne, please respond."

"We've got him," Sheppard said by way of greeting, watching as Ronon lifted the scientist from the chair carefully, his face set in a dark frown. "What's your status?"

"Enemy has been neutralized. Two of the teams have already fallen back to the entrance to wait on your return, sir. Teyla assures me that a medical team is waiting at the gate. Can we be of any assistance?"

"Negative. We'll meet you at the entrance."

"Copy that, sir. Lorne out."

"Let's move," John barked, swallowing hard as he chanced another glance back at Rodney. Nodding at Ronon, he started towards the hallway when the weak voice reached his ears.

"… Dex?"

"You're safe, McKay," Ronon assured him. "We've got you."

"Thought… thought you weren't coming." A wet cough erupted from his mouth, the sound sending shivers down John's spine. "It's… it's about time."

"We don't leave our men behind, Rodney," John reminded him. "And like it or not, your ass belongs to me."

"Never… never thought I'd…" he trailed off again, coughing loudly. "Be so happy t' hear you say tha'. Can we… can we go home now?"

"You got it, buddy."

_Three Days Later_

Shifting in the hard plastic chair, it was all John could do to stifle his verbal complaints. As much time as they spent in the damn infirmary, he would have thought that Carson would have at least commandeered more comfortable chairs from the conference rooms. Anything would be better than these torture devices.

Lifting his feet, he propped them up on the bottom rail of Rodney's bed, leaning back on two legs as he returned his attention to the comic book in his hands. It was the same one he'd been attempting to read for the last three days, though he already knew it was to no avail.

Releasing a loud sigh, he closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his messy hair before lowering the chair to all four legs. Leaning forward, he dropped his head to his hands, massaging his aching temples before he spoke quietly.

"You've gotta wake up soon, buddy. These chairs are murder on my back."

"They're uncomfortable for a reason, Colonel."

Glancing up at the sound of the voice, John cocked an eyebrow at Carson as the doctor as he made his way over to the side of Rodney's bed, checking the various tubes and wires.

"Yeah? And what reason would that be?"

"To encourage visitors to actually leave and get some rest. They're not meant to be occupied for three days straight."

"I'm not goin' anywhere," John replied stubbornly as he leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.

"I know what you're doin' here, John, but I'm not quite sure why. Do you really believe that this is what Rodney would want? For you to sit here and sulk for days at a time?"

"This _is_ Rodney we're talkin' about, Doc."

"Fair enough," Carson conceded with a quiet laugh. "But I think he'd rather have you around for reasons other than because you're beatin' yourself up over what happened. There's nothin' you coulda done."

"That's bullshit, Carson!" John spat, pushing himself to his feet, comic book forgotten. "We walked away! We left him behind and he thought we weren't coming back!"

"I'm quite sure it was the bloody fever talkin', Colonel."

"Well, I'm not. I mean sure, it's probably because of the fever that he let it slip, because we all know how loose-lipped Rodney gets when he's not fully functional, but something had to have happened to make him think that and dammit, I'm not going anywhere until I find out what it was!"

"'Scuse me."

Both men jumped at the sound of the rough voice and John's eyes widened almost comically when he realized it came from the bed. "Rodney?"

"Were you expecting someone else?" The scientist growled, his eyes fluttering sleepily as he tried to keep himself awake. "Dying man here. Can you two take your argument outside?"

"Not a chance. It's about time your lazy ass decided to join the land of the living."

"Sorry. Trying to not die is really, _really_ tiring. Who knew, right?" He grumbled, wincing as a wet cough escaped him.

"How are you feeling, Rodney?" Carson asked, reaching over to checks his eyes, unable to contain his smirk when Rodney batted his hands away weakly with his uninjured hand.

"I'd be better if you two would shut up and let me sleep."

"In a minute. I need to finish checkin' you over."

John didn't miss Rodney's impatient sigh, nor did he miss the way he winced when he tried to lift his injured hand.

"Easy, buddy. That bastard did a number on your fingers before we got to you."

The scientist frowned darkly, his blue eyes going in and out of focus as he glanced up at John. "What… what exactly happened?"

"Some of the natives on P28M34 went a little nuts when you got too close to their sacred cavern or whatever the hell it was. Looked like a giant cave to me, but whatever. Ronon thought he heard something and went to check the perimeter, but when he got back, you were gone."

"He left me."

The words were quieter than he expected, but they left him breathless all the same. "We didn't stop looking for you, Rodney."

"You… you should have. Don' need me anyway, do you?"

"Rodney, I—"

"'M tired, Colonel. Exhausted, actually, so if you don't mind…" he trailed off, his words hanging in the air.

"I'm not going anywhere," John responded stubbornly as he sank back into his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

The scientist eyed him for a moment before he nodded, releasing a quiet sigh.

"Rest. I'll be here when you wake up and then you and I are going to have a **long** conversation."

"I look forward to it," he responded dryly before he shifted just slightly on the bed, allowing his eyes to close.

Settling back into the chair, John started to reach for his comic book again when he decided against it in favor of watching his scientist. Rodney was paler than normal and his lip was finally beginning to heal from where it had been split by that bastard's fist. A white bandage covering his broken nose stood out brilliantly against the numerous cuts and bruises that covered a good portion of his face, and fingers on both hands had been splinted. A total of six had been broken before they'd ever reached the cave and John was positive that the sound of the seventh being snapped was a sound he would never forget.

He pushed the thoughts from his mind as he leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on the lowest railing of the bed as he linked his hands behind his head, settling in for what he was sure was going to be another long wait.

_Several Hours Later_

Jerking awake at the sound of footsteps, John was on his feet in a second. His heart was pounding in his chest as he reached for the sidearm that wasn't there, and he relaxed only when he spotted Ronon's tall figure coming into view.

"You really need to stop sneaking up on people," he scolded, sinking back down into his chair with a sigh.

"Sorry," Ronon responded with a shrug, though if the smirk on his face was any indication, he wasn't sorry at all. "How's McKay?"

"Still the same. Woke up for a few minutes awhile ago, but he's been out of it since." Reaching up, John ran his fingers through his hair and sighed again. He could feel Ronon's eyes on him, though when he turned, he was surprised at the look of remorse on the Satedan's face.

"Sheppard—"

"It's over, Ronon. He's back and right now, that's all the matters."

"But…" he trailed off when John held his hand up, his body tensing for impact when John pushed himself to his feet again.

"It's as much my fault as it is yours, buddy," John assured him, clapping the taller man on the shoulder. "I should have sent you to Teyla and stayed with Rodney. I know how he can be when he thinks he's found something."

"I shouldn't have let him out of my sight."

"You're right about that, and I can promise you that if you **ever** do that again, there's no place in this Galaxy that you'll be able to hide…" he trailed off, his eyes flashing angrily before he nodded. "But this time, we'll chalk it up to as a lesson learned and move on."

"You'll… you'll forgive me if I want to let him wallow in his own self-pity for a little longer," Rodney responded, his voice hoarse as his eyes fluttered open slowly.

Both men turned towards the sound of the voice, eyes wide as Rodney attempted to sit up against the bed.

"All right, McKay?" Ronon asked, lowering himself into the chair that John had recently vacated.

"I've had better days."

Nodding curtly, Ronon turned to John, offering a slight smirk. "Go on. Take a break. I'll watch him."

Eyeing the Satedan briefly, John nodded in response. "I know you will." Clapping Ronon on the shoulder gently, John turned his attention to Rodney, offering the injured man a slight grin. "Glad to have you back to the land of living, Rodney."

"Yeah well…" He winced slightly when he pulled on the stitches in his side. "It's good to be back."

John lingered for a moment longer, watching as Rodney settled back against the white hospital sheets, his eyes fluttering closed once more before he made his way out of the infirmary.

_The Next Morning…_

"Carson! This is ridiculous! I'm far too important to this expedition to be held against my will in this damn infirmary without access to a laptop! Do you have any idea how many problems I could have solved in the time we've been arguing?"

It was all John could do to keep from laughing as he stepped into the infirmary, bag in hand, though he schooled his face into a blank expression as he approached Rodney and Beckett.

"It's good to see you're feeling better, McKay."

"I'm fine! Now would you please tell this voodoo practitioner that there's no need to keep me here any longer? God knows what Radek's blown up and if I have any hope of fixing it before dinner, I need to go now!"

"Rodney, I can't let you go! Do you have any idea just how much blood you lost? We still haven't gotten that bloody infection under control and until we have, I'm afraid you're not goin' anywhere!"

"Carson!"

"No arguments! Now lay back like a good lad and shut up!"

"Alright, alright. Doc, why don't you go take a break, huh? I'll keep Rodney company until you get back." John offered, barely suppressing a smirk when Carson muttered an angry 'good luck' under his breath and stalked out of the infirmary. "You know, I don't think berating and talking down to the doctor with all the big scary needles is a good idea."

"And keeping the man who controls the water temperature hostage isn't a good idea either. You just wait until I get out of here! He's going to have cold showers for a week!"

"Harsh, McKay. Way harsh."

"Did you actually have a purpose for coming or did you come just to torment me?"

"A little bit of both," John replied with a grin, sinking down into the chair beside the bed before he pulled Rodney's tablet out of his bag. "Make it quick. Ronon and Teyla have strict instructions to intercept Beckett, but there's no telling how long they can hold him off."

Rodney snatched the equipment from his hands, his eyes lighting up excitedly as he powered the tablet up, his fingers flying over the screen. It was only a second later, however, that his face twisted in an ugly scowl. "Idiots. I work with idiots. I had hoped that Zelenka was a little less idiotic than the rest of them, but judging by this…" he trailed off, shaking his head.

"What is it that you're working on?"

"It's too complex for you to even begin to understand," Rodney snapped, his eyes never leaving the screen. "Unfortunately, if Chewbacca hadn't let the angry natives have their way with me while the two of you were back here having a grand old time, then this would have been finished by now!"

John was almost positive that Rodney had no idea what he'd just said, but the words were like a punch to the gut, and all at once, everything clicked into place. Things had been weird between them since they'd returned to Earth and until now, John hadn't been able to pinpoint exactly why. "He's not replacing you, Rodney," he blurted out, a dark frown on his face.

"What?"

"Ronon. That's what this is about, isn't it?"

"Don't be stupid. Of course this isn't about Ronon. This is about me getting shot and tortured!"

"But that's why you thought we weren't coming for you."

He watched as the scientist's fingers hesitated slightly before Rodney lifted his eyes to meet John's. "I… I knew you were coming."

"That's not what you said."

"Well, what else was I supposed to think?" Rodney asked, dropping the tablet his lap. "Ever since he joined the team, you… you… I'm not like him, Colonel. I don't have a cool gun and I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with... with one of those sticks! I… I have no place on your team. That's what you said. You said you didn't need me."

"Listen, Rodney…" John trailed off, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. "Listen, I'm not… I'm not very good with words, okay? In fact, this conversation probably ranks right up there with the 'It's not you, it's me' speech in my top ten 'List of Conversations I'd Like To Never Have', so I'm going to say this once, but if you ever repeat it, I'll deny it. Are you listening?"

"I'm listening."

"You've been a part of my team from the beginning."

"That's it? That's your heartfelt speech?"

"I'm not finished yet," John complained, releasing a loud sigh. "If I didn't want you around, I wouldn't have picked you in the first place."

"But you _said_—"

"I know what I said, Rodney, but I didn't mean it! I was teasing! I tried to tell you that, but you stomped off and avoided me for the rest of the day, so I didn't exactly get a chance to clear things up!"

"Oh, so it's _my _fault now? Well doesn't that just figure!"

"Would you just shut up and let me finish?"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Rodney let out an indignant sigh and narrowed his eyes at John. "Please, by all means, continue."

"Thank you. Anyway… I know I've been giving you a hard time, okay? But really, when you think about it, I've _always_ given you a hard time. It's kind of what I do."

"But only with me. You don't do it to Teyla and sure as hell don't do it to that… that overgrown poor excuse for a frat brother and you never did it to Ford either."

"That's because I have… other ways of bonding with them?" He frowned, slouching back into his chair. "Do you understand now?"

"So… wait a minute, let me get this straight. Your idea of _bonding_ with me is teasing me?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, you're the only one who ever gives it back! It's… it's our thing, you know? I mean, me and Ronon have the cool guns to play with and with Teyla, we've both got sparring. With Ford, it was a military thing, and with you…"

"You're really awful at this."

"I told you that already. Listen, I'm sorry, okay? I don't say that very often, but it was really never my intention to make you feel like you weren't a valued member of my team, but I can promise you, I only give you such a hard time because I like you. If I didn't, I wouldn't even talk to ya. God knows it would save me more than just a couple of headaches."

For a moment, Rodney said nothing, his eyes returning to the tablet as he lifted it off his lap, his fingers hovering just over the screen. "You… you really mean that?"

"You're damned right I do." Pushing himself to his feet, John offered the scientist a lopsided grin before he patted his leg reassuringly. "You just remember what I said. This goes no further than this room. Can't have everyone thinkin' I'm going soft."

"Of course not," Rodney responded with a slight nod as he looked up, offering John a slight smile in return. "And John?"

"Yeah, buddy?"

Rodney hesitated slightly. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it… Really, don't _ever _mention it." Grinning broadly at his scientist, John offered a half wave as he made his way out of the infirmary, missing the relieved look that passed over Rodney's face as he sank back down onto the bed.

_Later That Night._

"Ah, Rodney!" Teyla greeted, a bright smile on her face as John and Rodney stepped into the large room. "I see Doctor Beckett has finally agreed to release you."

"Actually, we staged a break out," John corrected, guiding the injured man over to the large plush couch in the center of the room. "Easy, buddy."

"I'm fine," Rodney sniffed, waving John's hand away as he sank down onto the cushions with a groan. "Much better than those infirmary beds. You'd think as much time as we spent there, they would at least invest in quality mattresses. I mean really, our team practically keeps them in business."

"You've got a point there," John agreed, sinking down on the other side of Teyla as he grabbed the bowl of popcorn from her hands. "Are we ready to get this night under way?"

"I believe so, yes," Teyla responded with a smile as she grabbed a drink, pressing it into Rodney's hands.

"Wait a minute… where's Chewie?"

"Ronon agreed to sit this one out," John responded with a partial shrug, shoving a hand full of popcorn into his mouth. "I thought that after everything that's gone on—"

"Oh no, no, no, no! If I have to suffer through that stupid football movie one more time, then he should at least have to suffer through it too! He's part of the team now anyway, so we can't just leave him out!"

"Ronon's not big into just hangin' out, McKay."

"Too bad. He's part of the team, he should have to suffer right along with us!"

It was all John could do to suppress his smirk as he offered his scientist a shrug. "Alright. Whatever you say."

Nodding more to himself than anything, Rodney opened the top of his drink, settling back against the couch as John radioed for Ronon.

It wasn't long before the large Satedan slipped into the rec room, trudging over to the couch before plopping down onto the cushions beside Rodney. Releasing a quiet grunt, he glanced over at the scientist. "All right, McKay?"

"I'd be better if Sheppard could find a different method of torture. Nobody really likes football."

"Couldn't agree with you more," Ronon decided. "Too girly for me. Not enough people getting hurt."

"That's what I said! I mean, not about the people getting hurt thing, but it's not exactly a real man's sport."

"Which is why," John interrupted, raising his voice slightly before he offered his teammates a broad grin. "We're not watching the football video."

"Oh thank God," Rodney sighed. "So what are we watching?"

"Well, we all know how much you hate football, Rodney, so we figured we'd pick something a little more up your alley," John smirked, pushing himself to his feet as he walked over to the large screen.

"Well… what is it?" Rodney asked impatiently.

Slipping the movie into the DVD player, John made his way back to the couch, laughing as he tossed the case to Rodney. "Here you go, buddy. Thought you and Ronon could bond over that."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me. The Mighty Ducks? Really?"

"Well, there aren't _that _many movies about hockey, now are there?"

"What is 'hockey'?" Ronon asked, plucking the bowl of popcorn from the John's hands as he settled back against the couch.

"McKay, I'll let you handle that one," John decided, offering Teyla a slight wink as he wrapped an arm around the back of the couch, letting the sound of Rodney's explanation wash over him, assuring him that the scientist was really going to be okay.


End file.
